Transport Council: Ministers support 3 initiatives of the Commission for clean and competitive mobility

Meeting yesterday in Luxembourg, the European transport ministers agreed on three proposals put forward by this Commission to support the competitiveness and sustainability of the mobility sector.

This will allow for the opening of interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament (‘trilogue’) in view of a swift adoption. Speaking after the meeting, Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said “We have reached an agreement within the Council on three important files, and I am confident that we can complete their adoption by the end of the year. Progress has also been achieved on other files that are still under negotiation, and I look forward to work closely with the incoming Austrian Presidency.” More specifically, ministers firstly agreed on new rules aiming to safeguard competition in air transport. This was the flagship initiative of the ‘Open and Connected Aviation’ tabled by the Commission a year ago. It will allow the EU to take appropriate action, should European airlines be subject to unfair practices affecting competition with third country carriers. Secondly, ministers agreed on European rules providing incentives for ships to dispose of their waste on land, rather than dumping it at sea. This agreement was reached only five months after the Commission put forward this proposal as parts of its ongoing efforts to tackle plastic waste. Ministers also agreed on common specifications for a European electronic toll service. They will establish interoperable road tolling services throughout the EU and improve cross-border cooperation on enforcement. In addition, ministers discussed progress made on other important dossiers, such as the market and social aspects of Europe on the Move or the Commission’s proposal to update rail passenger rights. More information is available here and on the Council website.